The Ukrainian billionaire arrested at the end of December in a hotel in Courchevel was released on bail on Thursday January 5, said the Chambéry Court of Appeal.
Suspected of having embezzled 113 million dollars from the bank, he paid a million euros in advance bail according to his lawyers.
48-year-old Kostiantin Jevago had been detained in the Aiton remand center since his arrest by the judicial police.
The wealthy businessman had appeared before the general prosecutor's office in Chambéry to be served with the extradition request issued by the Ukrainian authorities, against a background of "
financial offences
".
The Chambéry Court of Appeal postponed until January 19 the examination of the validity of the request for extradition of the former deputy, while his lawyers, Me François Zimeray and Me Étienne Arnaud, argued that a large number of parts had to be translated beforehand.
"I don't deserve this"
For his part, the accused, suspected of having embezzled the 113 million dollars from the Finance and Credit Bank which went bankrupt in 2015, denounces a “
political affair
”.
“
I have always fought corrupt people in Ukraine
”, he defended himself at the bar in his native language, translated by an interpreter, indicates France Bleu Pays de Savoie.
Described as an oligarch, the majority shareholder of the mining company Ferrexpo, also refuted this designation, declaring that he had "
always fought
" against "
injustice
".
"
Today I pay for this
", added Kostiantin Jevago, "
I don't deserve this
".
While Ukraine has placed him on its wanted list since 2021, the billionaire claims to have asked “
fifteen times
” to explain himself to Ukrainian justice, in vain.
Advocate General Richard Pallain opposed the request for release, which his lawyers obtained in exchange for "
guarantees of representation
", a one-year lease of a Paris apartment and proof rental of another accommodation in Chambéry, and finally a guarantee of up to 1 million euros.
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Accommodation "
for the occasion
", commented Richard Pallain, referring to a risk of flight by the accused resident in Dubai.
The latter says he is ready to return to Ukraine "
not to go to prison, but to fight the aggressors
" Russian, and to trust for that in "
French justice and its democratic foundations
".
According to Forbes, the businessman now weighs 1.3 billion dollars, against 2.3 billion the previous year.
He was a member of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian Parliament, from 1998 to 2019, sometimes as an independent, sometimes in the camp of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
He was beaten in the legislative elections by a candidate from the party of Volodymyr Zelensky, who had himself just been elected to the Ukrainian presidency.